


Mistress of the Universe

by missingnolovefic



Series: Rifts in Time [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: BAMF Mal (Disney), F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Irony, King Ben, Mal has all the fancy titles, Multi, Polyamory, Queen Evie, Queen Mal, Time Travel, and also kicks Maleficent's ass, happy ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 03:06:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingnolovefic/pseuds/missingnolovefic
Summary: Bad enough that Mal has to face down her mother during Ben's coronation. Now a new player enters the board, a powerful sorceress that seems awfully familiar...





	Mistress of the Universe

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote most of this back in summer when I was first getting into the DD fandom. Rediscovered it over Christmas and decided to finish this story - and then went straight on to work on the sequel xD
> 
> Mal PoV, shenanigans, and pure self indulgence on my end. Enjoy.

Maleficent’s laughter echoed through the church, everyone watching in frozen horror as the escaped villain pranced between the rows of guests, cracking jokes and making threats in the same breath. Mal shuddered, her grip on the wand tightening. Maleficent made a come hither gesture, and Mal took an involuntary step forward before coming to a sudden halt.

“Mother-” she started, then swallowed heavily.

“None of that, now,” Maleficent tutted. “The wand, _darling_.”

Mal glanced from her mother to the wand firmly in her grasp, before her gaze slid past both of them to land on Ben’s wide eyes. Beautiful, trusting Ben, who had such faith in her when she least deserved it-

“No.” The word slipped past her lips before she could so much as register it.

“I’m sorry,” Maleficent drawled, but her eyes started glowing green. She made a show of clearing out her ear. “I must not have heard that right. What did you say, dear daughter mine?”

A breath shuddered through Mal’s chest, and she straightened.

“I said, no.” Her voice wobbled slightly as she met Maleficent’s burning gaze. “Mother,” she tagged on hastily, legs shaking.

Maleficent chuckled, but there was no humor in her voice. “Very funny, child. Now, hand over the wa-”

The doors banged open with a loud _crack_. A cold wind howled through the church blowing out candles, trailing whirls of smoke overhead. The temperature dropped as a tall, shadowy figure stepped in. Mal shivered, eyes drawn to the newcomer against her will. A dark, purple cloak billowed behind them, a deep hood obscuring their face. Yet they emitted an aura of power and authority worn as casually as a familiar cloak. _Dangerous_.

The clack-clack of heels against stone echoed through the silent church.

“Now, now,” Maleficent spoke up, breaking the weird mood that descended upon them. Mal straightened in alarm at the serious threat underlying the casual words. This was her mother’s voice as she pronounced the Evil Queen’s banishment. The one that brooked no argument. “And who might you be?”

A sigh, and Mal got the distinct impression of rolled eyes. Then the figure raised a hand and casually waved two fingers at Maleficent.

“Not now, Mother,” a surprisingly familiar voice said, and electricity jolted down Mal’s spine.

With a crack of thunder, Maleficent flew through the air, until her back hit the stone wall. She hovered there for a short moment, before crumbling to the ground, clearly unconscious. Mal stared, slack-jawed, as her mother - powerful and strong, and most importantly, wickedly dangerous - was so easily defeated with the wave of a hand. Like swatting an annoying fly.

Evie’s gasp had her turn around, reaching out immediately to her friend to make sure she was okay. Evie had her hands clasped over her mouth, staring past Mal with wide eyes. Following her gaze, Mal saw that the robed figure had pulled down her hood. Long, lilac locks framed a feminine face with stark green, glowing eyes. She wore a fine, filigree diadem of silver, curling around a large emerald in the middle and surrounded by tens of tiny amethysts, glittering avidly despite the lack of light.

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Jay breathed to her left.

“I don’t,” Mal grit out, taking an instinctual step back as the sorceress strode past, long purple cloak swishing around her mauve, knee-high leather boots. She came to a sudden stop in front of Fairy Godmother, tilting her head. The woman frowned, tapping a finger against her chin, and she reminded Mal so strongly of her mother when displeased right then, she reached for her friends on pure instinct.. The sorceress whirled around, gaze roaming across the crowd before settling on Mal and her friends.

Mal felt her magic spark in her eyes, and the woman’s mouth curled up.

“Cute,” she drawled. The woman sauntered up to Mal, eyeing her up and down. Standing directly in front of her, she suddenly seemed less tall. She had maybe an inch on Mal, but her presence just made her seem… more _imposing_. The woman reached out and plucked Fairy Godmother’s wand right out of her grasp. “I’m gonna borrow that for a moment.”

Then she ignored Mal’s sputtered protest and turned on her heels, striding past the frozen Fairy Godmother, onto the podest with the chairs acting as thrones.

“Hmm,” the woman hummed thoughtfully, twirling the wand in her hand. Then she stabbed the air, muttering under her breath, “In this moment where Fate will shift, a wand is needed to repair this rift.”

For a moment, it seemed like everyone was holding their breath. A heartbeat, and then- space seemed to open up its maw, inhaling sharply. Winds buffeted dresses and hair, and Mal raised her arm to protect her face before- suddenly, with a _plop_ like a vacuum closing, the suction cut off and everything calmed down.

The quiet felt almost deafening.

“Well, that’s that,” the woman pronounced, dusting off her pants. Then she looked up with a frown. Mal stepped forward, between the powerful stranger and her friends. The woman turned her gaze to her and smirked. “Frozen in shock, are they? But not you.”

“Uh,” Carlos piped up behind her. Jay hushed him loudly, but Carlos went on, “I think that’s a spell, actually?”

“Right,” the woman exclaimed, snapping her fingers. A green spark lit up the dark church, before the torches flickered on. “I forgot about that part.”

Mal opened her mouth, a question on the tip of her tongue. _Forgot? What did she_ mean _by that? Who_ was _she?_ But before Mal could ask any of those, a dull buzz flooded the room, leaving her skin tingling as it swept over her. Movement in the corner of her eyes, a muffled roar- she landed on the stone floor with a loud thud and grunted, air escaping her lungs and teeth clacking shut.

“Ben!” Belle yelled, at the same time as Evie exclaimed, “Mal!”

“Whoops. My bad,” the woman chuckled, sounding a little too amused to be truly sorry. Mal had to admit, Ben’s face as he realized that he had indeed not tackled Maleficent but instead landed on Mal was hilarious.

“Sorry,” he squeaked, rolling to the side and helping her up. “I thought you were-”  
  
“Several inches taller, many years younger, and much easier to tackle than my mother?” Mal asked, shooting him a smirk.

“Er-” Ben stuttered, looking quite contrite. He was saved from further embarrassment by his mother, however.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we have met,” Belle started pleasantly, boldly stepping forward. She was eyeing the wand in the woman’s hand warily, though. “Might I know who you are, to thank you properly for coming to our rescue?”

“We have, actually,” the woman drawled, arching a brow. A playful grin twisted around her mouth. Belle tensed, Adam stepping up behind her, straightening. The woman glanced curiously between them, before her eyes widened and she let out a startled laugh. “No, no, I’m not the Enchantress you pissed off decades ago.”

She twirled the wand casually in her hand, drawing all eyes to it. Fairy Godmother cleared her throat, cautiously stepping up beside Ben’s parents.

“I believe that’s mine,” she stated calmly, but there was an edge to her voice. The woman chuckled, but whirled the wand around to offer it handle first.

“Here you go. I no longer have need of it,” the woman declared. The crowd tensed at her words. Mal exchanged a quick, worried look with her friends. “You should probably raise the barrier again, before any other ‘villain’ notices its absence,” the woman added helpfully.

“Fiddlesticks,” Fairy Godmother swore under her breath. Then she met the woman’s eyes squarely. “You still haven’t told us who you are.”

The woman cocked her head and smirked, hooking a thumb over her shoulder to point at the four of them.

“I’m her, but better. Stronger, wiser, blah blah blah.” Her grin widened at the confused looks she garnered from the crowd. Then she straightened, inclining her head regally. “Queen Mal of Auradon. Grand Sorceress of the Isle, Protectoris Draconis, and first wife of King Ben the Gentle.” She mocked a curtsey. “At your service.”

“You’re… me,” Mal repeated dubiously. She looked the woman up and down. There were quite a few similarities between their appearances, she had to admit but… Her? A queen? Married to _Ben_? What a cruel joke. He could do so much better - for himself, and his kingdom.

“Give or take a couple years,” the woman - Queen Mal - drawled, her amethyst eyes glittering with green sparks. “About two decades, in fact.”

“You’ve travelled back through time… to save us?” Belle inquired politely. She was taking the news surprisingly well, Mal thought.

But her older self laughed and waved her off.

“Oh, don’t worry, things would have worked out,” she offered. Then she paused, turning to look at Mal. “It’s actually kinda not good I interrupted right there. That was one hella satisfying, if scary experience, standing up to Mother for the first time.” Mal could only stare. She would’ve won? What? Her older self shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh well.”

“Wait,” Evie said, and everyone turned to look at her. She bit her lips, but lifted her chin. “If Maleficent was defeated today… What happened to her?”

 _To us_ , she didn’t say, but Mal could read the question in her face. She reached out and squeezed Evie’s hand. Jay and Carlos stepped closer, huddling around them. The woman’s face softened.

“Well, for one we all finished school,” she offered, corner of her mouth ticking up, as if inviting them in on a joke. “Mother on the other hand… She remained a lizard until some idiot young wizard freed her. Luckily by then I could control the dragon transformation.” The woman paused. “Speaking of which…”

She snapped her fingers again and pointed at the crumpled form of Maleficent, muttering under her breath. With a flash of green, the terrifying villain shrunk down into a tiny, cute looking lizard. Mal blinked, staring at what had been her mother not even seconds ago. Her mind, however, was stuck on a different detail.

“Dragon transformation?”

Her older self hummed agreeably. “It’ll take you some time to figure out how to do it on command,” she offered in a remniscising tone. “But generally, you tend to manage it when your friends are in danger.”

She winked at Ben, who was standing next to Mal.

“Protectoris Draconis,” he murmured thoughtfully. The older Mal flashed him a smile.

“Indeed.”

“Not that this isn’t… nice,” Belle spoke up delicately, watching the other Queen closely. Her older self tuned to look back at her evenly, raising one brow in silent question. “But- if you’re not here for that, then…”

Queen Mal snorted inelegantly.

“A little mishap,” she explained vaguely. “Several things collided that really shouldn’t’ve, magical explosion ripped some rifts open in the fourth dimension, that kinda thing.” She waved off their shocked expressions. “Nothing big.”

“Any precautions we can take to stop the event?” Belle asked, polite but insistent.

“Eh.” Her older self shrugged and smirked, pointing at Jay and Carlos.

“Those two were supposed to keep an eye on it, but they got… _distracted_.”

Mal bristled, stepping in front of her boys. She wasn’t sure what the other Mal was insinuating, though going by Carlos breathless _Oh_ he caught the implication. A quick glance over her shoulder showed the younger boy blushing brightly.

“Are you done here?” Evie called out, her voice echoing through the quiet church. Mal glanced to the girl at her side, who stared back with wide eyes because it wasn’t-

An elegant woman stood in the open door, rummaging through a glittery blue purse. Her blue hair was piled up into an elaborate bun-slash-knot, silver crystals glinting where the sparse light hit it. She was wearing a glittery blue dress that matched her purse over blue-dyed leather leggings. Her bangs were pinned in place by a similar silver diadem, framing sapphires instead of amethysts.

“Quite,” Queen Mal drawled, mocking a bow towards Queen Belle. “You took care of-?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Finally the woman looked up, gaze flitting over the gathered crowd before landing unerringly on the older Mal. “We should go. There’s three more rifts to take care of in this decade.” Her gentle smile turned wicked. “Unless you want to leave them to Uma...?”

Her older self straightened, sparks of green magic surrounding her in her obvious temper.

“And let her rub it in my face later? Never.” The older Mal snapped her fingers and caught the lizard sailing through the air. She turned and dropped it into Mal’s hands, which she closed instinctively. Gleaming green eyes met her own, mustering her intently. “You’re powerful of your own right,” Queen Mal murmured, and Mal knew it was for her ears only. She felt the magic tingling in the air. “But never forget what truly makes you strong: your choice in fr- allies.”

Mal swallowed. Her older self seemed content with that, as she pulled her hood up and swanned down the rows, cloak billowing menacingly behind her. The older Evie met the older Mal halfway, holding out something from her purse - a stone or crystal, a dark round shape, translucent with white sparks swirling within. The moment both of them touched the focus, the wind picked up again.

Mal closed her stinging eyes, and then they were gone.

Everyone stared, first at the empty space, and then at the Rotten Four. Mal lifted her chin and glared back, daring any of them to speak up. The tension rose until Ben cleared his throat, drawing all eyes to him.

“I, uh, think we can return to the ceremony now, since the interruption has been dealt with?” he suggested mildly, glancing at his parents as if for reassurance. Queen Belle inclined her head, but her eyes lingered on Mal, specifically.

“Yes, indeed. Fairy Godmother, if you would be so kind…?”

The coronation continued, but Mal’s thoughts were far away. In two decades, she’d be _Queen_ , married to _Ben_ of all people, ruling over the Isle. It seemed more like a fairytale than any of the stories. But… her older self… she’d been _powerful_. The air still tingled with her magic and…

 _That_ ’s something she wanted for sure. The rest… well. She had time to figure the rest out.

  
  


* * *

 

 

“Your Majesty,” the herald called out softly. Ben jerks his head up from the contract he’s been trying to read for the past hour. “Their Majesties, Queen Mal and Queen Evie, have returned.”

“Thank you, Deux,” Ben replied evenly, turning to meet his wives. They looked glorious as always, but with a certain wild touch that seemed to follow them whenever they worked great feats of magic. It was enthralling, alluring, and Ben couldn’t tear his gaze away from them if he tried.

“Welcome home.” He swallowed and offered them a smile. “I assume things went well?”

Mal flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned wickedly.

“Of course.” Her eyes glittered with mischief. “Though I might’ve given mini-me a bit of a complex. I don’t think I was ready to consider _marriage_ at that age.”

“You just wanted to throw your titles into the adults’ faces,” Evie observed bemusedly.

“But it worked? The rifts are closed, the timeline intact?” Ben asked worriedly. At their nods, he slumped, tension escaping his shoulders. He held out both of his hands, a long shuddering breath escaping his lungs when they reached for him. “Thank you.”

“Everything alright on this end?” Evie asked quietly, tucking herself under Ben’s arm. Mal reached up to brush a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear. Ben nodded, tightening his arm around her shoulders.

“All of the big names are accounted for, and there’s no evidence of pampering with the timestream yet, aside from the sanctioned excursions.”

Mal hummed, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“Don’t worry so much. The stream will simply split at the points of interaction, creating another stable timeline,” she explained, smiling reassuringly. “Now that the rifts are closed, there’s no danger to our present.”

“Still.” Ben wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’d prefer it if you went over everything with Jane once she returns.”

Mal rolled her eyes, entwining her fingers with Evie’s around Ben’s back.

“It’s fine, Ben,” Evie assured him, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouths. “We got it handled. Relax.”

Ben sighed and closed his eyes. He turned his head and caught Evie’s lingering lips in a gentle kiss, before turning the other way and kissing Mal as well.

“I know,” he murmured against her mouth. “I’m just…”

“Worried,” Evie finished, nuzzling his neck. “We know.”

Mal tugged at his buttoned up collar, smirking against his lips.

“How about,” she suggested in a low, seductive voice, “we take your mind of things. Help you relax.”

She pushed him back, and Ben let her, smiling fondly. Evie giggled and followed, not letting go of Mal’s hand, still tucked under Ben’s arm.

Not a fairytale, maybe, but it was their _Happy Ever After_ for sure.

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel will focus on Jane, Uma and a certain group of pirates. It's almost finished, meaning it should be up next month :'D


End file.
